Jul 29, 2008 | blog
I’d like to bring your attention to the upcoming August 2008 issue of Personal Branding Magazine. Starting it’s second year of publication, PBM is kicking off Volume 2 with a bang. This months focus is on Millennials, and how they’re changing the way we do business.
For those who have not yet subscribed, PBM is offering a free sample issue that is an excellent example of the information you’ll find in each quarterly issue. Publisher Dan Schawbel also has an introduction video that you may want to view regarding this issue and some fun news.
PBM is also launching a new Facebook Fan Page & Group for anyone interested in more branding and networking opportunities with your fellow PBM subscribers.
Congratulations to the staff, columnists, writers, and publisher of PBM on a great issue to kick off Volume 2!
Jun 28, 2008 | blog
As it happens to me a few times a year, work & life take precedence over blogging. It’s a frustrating experience as it usually happens when I am in the middle of pulling a lot of ideas together.
At any rate, I have realized something this time around. I spend more time blogging when I don’t have much exciting things going on. Or looked at another way, I blog a lot less when I’m spending more quality time with family, friends, and making social media things happen in the real world.
Right now, I’ve been so involved with the transition from one client to another that I haven’t made a priority to talk about things here. There’s enough happening out in the real world, that I’m struggling to get back and talk about things here. To me, that’s doubly bad because I have a lot to talk about with you, and had just redesigned the blog to accommodate a lot more of these topics.
I’ve found there are a couple page to finish up here as well, to finish the refocus of things I learned at SOBCon08. Speaking of SOBCon, there were so many new learning’s for so many people coming out of that one event that it amazes me still, two months later. Start planning to attend next year folks, that’s all I can say.
Well, I’ve got a number of posts and post ideas in the works, and will be working on those and many other things. Hopefully I’ll have a few interesting pieces to share soon. Thanks your for patience – we’ll see you around the ‘net.
Photo credit: kevinzim
Jun 24, 2008 | blog
One of my favorite bloggers has been picked up by one of the big names in blogging today. Blogging friend Steven Hodson can be found blogging on Mashable in addition to his own blog, WinExtra.
Steven has a knack for bringing a practical approach to all this newfangled technology and sharing stuff. 
He’ll tell you that he’s “a cranky old fart wandering the Internet causing mayhem as he goes”, but I know better. He’s a knowledgeable blogger who’s not afraid to point out some of the silliness that we think is import in web 2.0, and also shares useful ideas for making it better.
So congratulations Steven! I have long believed that it was only a matter of time before one of the bigger blogs snapped him up to write for them. Check out his first “official post” as a blogger for Mashable.
Jun 17, 2008 | happiness
A quiet lunch without Internet access, without office drive-by’s, without interruption, allowing one to write.
Jun 17, 2008 | blog
An interesting component of your online brand is most certainly audience. Without it, there is little point in doing much of anything online other than email, research, and storing information. Audience is what makes the web 2.0 world turn, as we’re all dependent upon the interactivity that audience brings.
Without people to follow, read, and comment on what each of us creates, we would have no measuring stick to compare ourselves to. We would not have a way to gauge improvement in knowledge or abilities. We’d be unable to find out what help others need, or how to learn something new from readers. Audience is a crucial piece to the social web.
As individuals, we shouldn’t be hesitant to grow audience in building our brand, or writing a blog. It’s not an egotistical to want to reach more people, its right in line with human nature to connect with people and socialize. Maintaining your audience is the other half of the equation – the one that give direct feedback of whether or not you’re adding value for them. It’s important to understand the expectations you set for your audience so you can continue to meet those expectations.
For organizations it’s easier in a way since they have long had marketing strategies that target certain demographics (specific audiences) for their product or service. They have been growing and maintaining their target markets for decades in some cases. There is one difference with online audience for organizations though: interactivity. This is not something that is found offline – you don’t see comments on magazine ads for your favorite soda or show company. You will online though, and that is the big challenge for the enterprise as they move into the social media space.
Bringing people to your social web is an important part of the social aspect. It allows for feedback, interaction and growth for all involved. Are you actively growing your audience?
What tips & techniques do you use or suggest for others to help grow their audience? How do you approach readers, followers, and friends on your social web?
Look for my article ‘Audience’ in the upcoming August 2008 issue of Personal Branding Magazine in which I talk about why growing and maintaining audience is important to personal brand.
Photo credit: GlowPlug
